New Ulm weekly review., 1887-09-21
much sooner THAN even l had antici-

scene In. the drawing-room, of which
was an interested observer, convinc-
ed me that Bhad vronged Queen Isa-
bel and that She was acting as she did
from a. motive which was certainly
not SO noble as could wish, yet one
that was-very natural to a nature so
sensitive and proud as hers. and
which was more excusable, to say the
least, than mere vanity. [ felt sure
now that she had really given her
heart wholly, to- Harold Charters mot
to young Devine, as most of our
guests believed(, and / concluded that
there hadl been at some former time
something very much like an earnest
love affair between this Well-matched
pair; an affair which had been almost
q drawn game between the two. Twas
| certain, toOt that Miss Isabel had
been piqued into taking her present
course largely through wounded pride
at HaroldS persistent holding back
from an OPEN avowal OF his love, when
his manner caused every one who.
knew them to think that it was fully
settled between them.
tQueen Isabel looked very lovely
upon this particular evening as she
talked with the little crowd of people
around her. She was usually the CEN
! ter of agroup.
"Capt. Devine watched her every
movement, and with gleam OF pas
sionate' jealousy in his blue eyes as
his once warm friend, Harold Charters,
for a. moment engrossed the beauty's
attention. Some remark was made
about Moore, then all the talk, and
Harold quoted in a low voice from
the poets lines upon a coquette:
"'Sweet coquette SO blandly smiling,
Charming still and still beguiling,
OFT swore TO love you never
"Here he. paused, and as the talk
and laughter broke in, for those
around supposed he had finished the
quotation. he bent quickly over Isa-
bells bonnie dark head, and in tones
meant for her ears alone continued,
giving the last line OF the stanza:
| Yet love thee more than ever
II was near. l heard the words,
and caught the covert meaning, saw:
my proud girls face glow like a. June
rose, though she famed herself lazily,
and pretended to continue her crit.
icism OF the poet as though her heant
was not throbbing fercely with SWEET
unexpected happiness all the time.
Devine did not hear the words, bat
he saw the look and the flush that
came to Isabel's face. Never to- nay
dying day shall 1 forget how
white his boyish face turned
or the look of bitter hate that
he bent upon his old comrade Harold.
Oh, these women are find hands at
breaking up a friendship between two
strong men.
"Soon after this little, episode I
went to my room, not to sleep. how
ever, for I tossed restlessly upon my
bed all night, vowing as did so to
give our arch coquette such ~ savage
scolding upon the morrow, even at
the risk of increasing her displeasure,
as should startle and alarm her into
a less cruel and dangerous course.
What right had the girl to keep them
both along so evenly, for if she smiled
with unusual friendliness upon Harold
one day the very next day she would
have no one to ride, drive, or walk by
her side but poor Devine. I must say
this, Harold Charters seemed honest
ly panied and grieved at the break be-
tween himself and his friend and cous-
in Devine, and I thought that he con-
trolled his temper admirable upon
several occasions when Devine was al
most insolent in showing his enmity.
"Well, the next morning after
this incident | felt tragedy in the air.
The fire had long been smoldering,
soon it would break out fercely.
Devine looked SO haggard and unlike
himself that l was shocked and
alarmed, but he assumed cheerful
ness which his face befied, as fair Queen
Belle came to the breakfast-room
looking fresh as the morning itself, in
a dainty costume that became her
we'll, and invited both OF her admirers
to come and look at her beds OF au-
tumn flowers.
"'And why may I not go, too?' said
l to her, partly because was anx-
ious to prevent any outbreak between
those two men, bothwhom were in no
mood to stand the least trifing,
saw, and partly because hoped to
find an early opportunity for keeping
my last nights vow, to speak k earnest
ly again to Isabel AS we started
talking cheerfulIy in the bright, pleas
ant morning air, Isabel, either in mere
caprice, or accidentally, l can never
to this day be certain which it was,
dropped upon the terrace, the hand
kerchief she carried in her hand. Both
OF the gentleman sprang forward to
pick it up and restore it to her, and
both by some wretched fatality caught
it at the same instant. Neither would
! - L